NORTH VERNON, Ind. – Almost three weeks after part of a building in downtown North Vernon collapsed due to age and neglect and was condemned, another historic building has met the same fate.
Known as the Redmen building, the location at 227 E. Walnut St. has been on the Jennings County Area Plan Commission (APC) and the City of North Vernon’s radar for some time.
According to APC Director Marie Shepherd, a complaint was received recently about the building, and during an exterior inspection, it was observed that the building was shifting, causing the windows to begin to break leaving glass on the surrounding area, as well as on the sidewalk. The chimney on the west side of the building was leaning noticeably toward the roof of the next-door building currently occupied by HWC Engineering. A large hole can be seen in the roof as well.
Due to these observations, Area Plan and the North Vernon Fire Department agreed to condemn the building until a proper structural evaluation has been completed and documentation is provided.
This is a result of the cumulation of complaints APC and the City have been struggling with for the last couple of years regarding old and deteriorating historic buildings, problems that were revisited at the last North Vernon City Council meeting in May following the partial collapse of the building located only a couple blocks away on Madison Avenue. It seems the local department heads are in agreement: owners have been neglecting their buildings for too long and public safety, as well as the city’s overall aesthetic, are at risk and firm action is required.
“Unfortunately, these buildings have gone way too long [without action] and I’ve been preaching that since I started. This isn’t the first building this is going to happen to,” said Shepherd at that May 22 meeting at City Hall, referring to the Madison Avenue building. “None of us want [historic buildings] torn down, but either you fix it up or you tear it down. We can’t have these buildings sitting around.”
APC’s quick response to the Redmen complaint and subsequent condemnation appears to be upholding those statements.
